Vapor-generator.



PATENTED SEPT. 1, v1903.

G. F. HITCHCOCK. VAPOR GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED 11211.22, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

Nonzsmas. PATBNTED SEPT. I, 190s.

C. I. HITCHCOCK.

VAPOR GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 19M..

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a II I. "niv,

7/l CCM@ -s M'famf ivo. ramas. indented september 1, 190e.

UNITEDN STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. HITCHCOCK, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY .MESNIL` ASSIGNMENTS, TO'EAGLE ENGINE CO., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION.

VAPOR-GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,738, dated September 1, 1903.

Application filed April 22, 1902. 1 Serial No. 104,107. (No model.)

'To all whom, it may concern: dium; the relative arrangement and connec- 5o Beitknown thatLCHARLES F. HITCHCOCK, tion of the heater or vaporizer with the casa citizen of the United States, residing at ing, the air-channels, and the means for reg- Oakland, county of Alameda, State of Caliulating the admission of both air and the fornia, have invented certain new and useful heating-gases. y

Improvements in Vapor Generators; and I The object of my invention is to secure the 55 do hereby declare the following to be a full, best results in these particulars, whereby an clear, and exact description of the same. effective vapor-generator of this type is ob- My invention relates to that class of vaportained.

ro generators especially adapted for the use of My invention consists in the novel conthe heavier petrolenms, commonly known as structions, arrangement, and combinations 6o crude oil, and in which the oil is caused of parts, which I shall hereinafter fully deto flow over a vaporiziug-surface heated by scribe and claim, reference being had tothe the exhaust-gases from the engine. accompanying drawings, in which- In vapor-generators of this class there are Figure l is an elevation of my generator, a

two essential cousiderations-namely, the portion of the front cap B being broken away 65 proper path or course for the oil over the to show thebeginning ofthe heat course. Fig. heater or vaporizer surface and the proper 2 is part elevation and part section, the lat;- direction or course of the exhaust-gases toV ter being on the line w w of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is zo heat said surface. The heavy character of a section on the line .e a of Fig. 5 at right the oil renders it necessary in order to vo1aangles to the section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a 7o tilize as much of it as possible under the heat horizontal section on line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. available that its course upon the vaporizer- 5 is a horizontal section on line no m of Fig. l. surface be both extended and continuous, A is a casing of suitable cross-section, here the former to subject it for a considerable shown as circular. Ithas openings inits vertime to the heat and the latter to avoid clogtical Walls at three places, one of which, which 7 5 ging by the non-volatilizable residue, which may be called the front, is covered by a residue where the fiow or course'is continucap B, the others, termed the sides, being ous will be carried to the end thereof, where covered bythe caps C and C on the right and 3o it can be properly disposed of. left, respectively.

The direction or course of the heating me- The heater or vaporizer Within the casing 8c dium (especially where the exhaust gases comprises a vertical series or tier of separated from the engine are used) must be such as to hollow boxes D, which are in practice cast conduct it to every part of the vaporizingwith the casing. The fiat upper or top wall surface and through a course sufficiently long d of each box forms the vaporizingsurface,

to utilize its gradually-diminishing temperaupon which the oil flows. The path d' for the 85 ture by bringing it into contact at first, when oil on said surface is a spiral one, formed by its temperature is highest, with those porthe spirally-directed flange cl2, as seen partions of the vaporizing -surface over which ticularly in Fig. 4. The discharges by which 4o the oil is passing from which most of the the oil is directed to and through the succesvolatilizable products have been driven, and sive oil-paths alternate in position from cir- 9o later, when its temperature is reduced, in cumference to center. In the arrangement contact with those portions of said surface shown (see Fig. 3) the oil-feed pipe E delivover which the fresher oil is flowing. ers at the center of the uppermost Vaporiz- 4 5 To these essentials must be added the coning-surface d, and the discharge d3 from said sideration of the structure of the heater or surface is at the outer part. The Vdischarge vaporizer itself, both with regard to its surd4 from the next surface is at the center, and face over which the oil flows and its opposite so on alternating throughout the series, the surface, which is exposed to the heating medischarge of the non volatilizable residuo from the lowermost surface being through the side of the casing, as shown by the pipe d5, Figs. 1 and 5.

Each hollow box D has Within it a partition d6, Figs. 2 and 5, here shown as radial, Fig. 5, the purpose of which is to provide a circuitous course through the box for the heating-gases in order to eect their proper distribution within the entire box. The front cap B is provided with a channel b, Fig. 2, with whichnear its upper portion the pipe F for delivering the heated exhaust-gases which come from the engine communicates, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. With the top of this channel communicates the escape-pipe Gr, and in said channel between the pipes F and G is a relief-damper H, Figs. 1 and 2. The heaterboxes D on their fronts next to the cap B open through the casing, as in Fig. 2, and said cap on its inner surface is formed or provided With means which act in conjunction with the open fronts of the boxes and their partitions lo form a continuous circuitous con rse for the heated gases through the series of boxes. The construction here shown, Figs. 1, 2, and 5, of the inner surface of cap B consists of a series of overlapping laterally-alternating pockets b, which while separating the/cavities of the boxes on each side of their partitions connect said cavities of the same side of succeeding boxes alternately. In the lower end of channel b is an opening b2, Fig. 1, which communicates with the cavity of the lowerrnost box'D on one side of its partition d6. The uppermost box communicates on one side of its partition with the upper end of channel b, Fig. 2. The course of the heated exhaust-gases is indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2-to wit, from pipe F into channel b of cap B, down in said channel (damper H being closed) and through opening b2 into the lowermost box on one side of its ra dial position d6, thence around the inner end of said partition and back on its other side to the open front of the box, thence up through the pocket b' of cap B on that side to the same side of the open front of the next box, thence into said next box on that side of its partition and around said portion to the open front of the box and into the second pocket b' of cap B and up to the next box, and so on throughout the series of boxes, and finally out from the uppermost box into the top of channel b and through pipe G.

The side caps O and C' are formed with channels c and c', Figs. 2 and 5, for admitting air to the casing A. The upper ends of these channels communicate, by means of openings controlled by damper-s or valves c2, with the outer air, and their lower ends open into the bottom of the casing, as shown in Fig. 3. In order to insure the air thus admitted from one side passing over the vaporizer-surfaces of the boxes to the other side, and thus to carry the vapor over to the body of air passing up said other side, there is between one side of the uppermost box Dand the casing a stop-plate ct, Fig. 3, which cuts off the direct communication of the air on that side with the top chamber a of the casing. By regulatingV the damper c2 of said first side just enough air may be admitted to pass over the oil to carry the vaporoff, but not to cool said oil. The top chamber a. is sufficiently capacious to serve as a reservoir for the vapor volatilized from the oil, and it is from this chamber that the communication at a2 is made with the engine to supply the vapor thereto. There is also a safety or blow-out valve or cap a3 in the top4 of chamber ct' to provide against the effect of accidental back-firing from the engine.

The operation of the generator is as follows: The oil is supplied from pipe E to the center of the uppermost vaporizing-surface d. Upon this it flows through the spiral path d formed by ange d2 to the outer portion of said surface. There it falls through the discharge d3 upon the outer portion of the second vaporizing-surface d and thence in the spiral path d' thereof to the center of said surface, where it falls through the central discharge d4 upon the center of the third vaporizing-surface, and so on down to the last surface, the non-volatilizable residue being discharged through pipe d5. This path of the oil is thus extended and continuous. During its course the oil is subjected to heat for a length of time sufficient to drive off its volatile vapors, and by its continuous flow the residue is carried on down to the discharge without tending to clog the path. Another advantage of the spiral path on a at surface is that the flow of the oil through it is practically uniform irrespective of the level of said surface, which in certain uses of the generator-as for example, upon a ship or other floating vessel-is inclined in various directions, due to the rolling of the vessel. Such a spiral path of a flat surface has also the further and decided advantage of caus- ICO IIO

ing a uniform liow of the oil, due solely to the head or level of the oil therein, in contradistinction to a true helical path like that formed on a convex or concave surface, where the oW is due to the inclination of the surface, thereby producing a too-rapid tlow. The spiral path also aords the greatest extent of course and the least obstruction to the ow of the o il, thereby distinguishing it from a zigzag course, in which by reason of the obstructing angles the non-volatilizable,residue is more apt to clog the path. Y

The exhaust-vapors from the engine, entering at the base of the'generater, are carried through an extended course and into contact with every portion of the heater.

IZO

They are tilizable portions of the oil require less heat i to be driven off.

The heat of the generator' can be regulated by the damper H,'by which the whole or any portion of the exhaust-gases maybe diverted directly to the escape-pipe Gr.

The air being supplied to the generator by an outer communication situtated some distance above the base of the generator has two advantages-namely, a preliminary heating in passing down in the channels c and c and preventing, by reason of the strong inward current of air induced through said channels, the puing out of any gas from the base of the generator. The removal of the caps B, C, and`C, one or more of them, effectually exposes the interior parts of the generator for cleaning or other purposes, and said caps, by reason of their channels, furnish of themselves convenient means for the admission of the air and exhaust-gases and supplement the interior parts in their necessary constructions to form the required courses.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.111 a vapor-generator, the combination of a casing having an opening in its front wall, a vertical series of separated hollow boxes within the casing having open fronts, partitions on t-he interior of the hollow boxes, a cap secured to the casing over its opening, means on the inner surface of the cap forming with the open fronts of the boxes a continuous circuitous course through the series of boxes, said cap having a channel communicating with the lower end of said course, an inlet-pipe discharging into the channel in the cap for the heating medium to pass through said course, an outlet-pipe leading from the upper end of said course, and means for supplying oil upon the uppermost box, said boxes communicatingl with each other to permit the continuous flow of oil from one surface to the other, substantially as described.

2. In a vapor-generator, the combination of acasing having an opening in its front wall, a vertical series of separated hollow boxes in said casing, spiral flanges on the upper surfaces of said boxes forming spiral paths having communicating passages arranged at the circumference and center alternately, said boxes having open fronts, partitions on the interior of said boxes, a cap secured over the opening in the casing, means on the inner surface of the-cap forming with the open fronts of the boxes a continuous eircuitous course through the series of boxes, said cap having also a channel communicating with the lower end of said course, an inlet-pipe discharging into the channel in the cap for the heating medium to pass through said course, a discharge-pipe leading from the upper end of said course, means for supplying oil to the upper surface of the uppermost box of the series, said boxes having connectingpassages for the continuous tiow of eil from one surface to the other, substantially as described.

3. In a vapor-generator, the colnbination of a casing having side openings, a vertical series of successively-communicating vaporizing-surfaces within the easing, means for supplying oil to said series of vaporizing-surfaces, a cap secured over each of said side openings, each cap having a channel communicating with the exterior air and with the lower portion of the interior of the casing, and means within the casing for diverting the air from the channel in one of said caps over the vaporizing-surfaces to the opposite side, substantially as described.

4. In a vapor-generator, the combination of a casing having separated openings in its front and side walls, a vertical series of separated hollow boxes having open fronts, spiral flanges on the upper surfaces of the boxes forming spiral paths, said boxes having communicating passages whereby the oil is discharged from one to the other of said paths at the circumference and center thereof, alternately, a partition on the interior of each box, a cap covering the front opening of the casing, means on the inner surface of the cap forming with the open fronts of the boxes a circuitous course through the series of boxes, said cap having a channel communicating above and below with the upper and lower ends of the course through the boxes,a pipe for exhaust-vapors leading into said channel, a damper in said channel located at a point between said pipe and the point of communication with the upper end of the course through the boxes, means for feeding oil to the top surface of the uppermost box, caps covering the side openings of the casing each having a channel therein communicating above with the exterior air and below with the base of the casing whereby air is supplied thereto, and means in the casing for diverting the air admitted from one of said capchannels over the oilpaths to the opposite side, substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

5. In a vapor-generator, the combination of a vertical series of separated hollow boxes the upper flat surfaces of which have spiral flanges formed upon them forming spiral paths for the oil to ow through,said boxes having communicating passages whereby the oil may flow from the path on one box to the path of the succeeding box, partitions in the boxes form-l ing circuitous course therein, and means for feeding a heating medium to the interior of the boxes, said means being arranged to form communicating passagesbetween the source of supply and the course through the boxes at alternate sides of the partitions therein, substantially as described.

6. In a vapor-generator, a plurality of sep-` arated hollow vaporizers, partitions in said vaporlzers and connections therebetween forming a single continuous circuitous'passage therethrough for a heating medium, and of the box located therebeneat-h, substantially means for delivering the heating medium to as described. zo said passage, said boxes having communicat.- In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my ing passages arranged alternately at points hand.

adjacent to the centers and edges of the saine, CHARLES F. HITCHCOCK. whereby oil may have continuous passage Witnesses:

from the top of the uppermost boX through I-IENRY Gr. W. DINKELSPIEL,

the same down to and over the uppersurface R. Gr. HUDSON. 

